“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is; whatever prayer and supplication is made by any man, or by all your people Israel, who will each know his own plague and his own sorrow, and shall spread out his hands toward this house; then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive, and render to every man according to all his ways, whose heart you know (for you, even you only, know the hearts of the children of men) that they may fear you, to walk in your ways, so long as they live in the land which you gave to our fathers.
Parallel Translations
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“If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatever plague or whatever sickness there is;
whatever prayer and supplication is made by any man, or by all your people Israel, who will each know his own plague and his own sorrow, and shall spread out his hands toward this house;
then hear from heaven your dwelling place and forgive, and render to every man according to all his ways, whose heart you know (for you, even you only, know the hearts of the children of men)
that they may fear you, to walk in your ways, so long as they live in the land which you gave to our fathers.
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If there be dearth in the land, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting, or mildew, locusts, or caterpillers; if their enemies besiege them in the cities of their land; whatsoever sore or whatsoever sickness there be:
Then what prayer or what supplication soever shall be made of any man, or of all thy people Israel, when every one shall know his own sore and his own grief, and shall spread forth his hands in this house:
Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and render unto every man according unto all his ways, whose heart thou knowest; (for thou only knowest the hearts of the children of men:)
That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
Show all 3 translations
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If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague or whatsoever sickness there be;
what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all Thy people Israel, who shall know every man his own plague and his own pain, and shall spread forth his hands toward this house;
then hear Thou from heaven Thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart Thou knowest — for Thou, even Thou only, knowest the hearts of the children of men —
that they may fear Thee, to walk in Thy ways, all the days that they live in the land which Thou gavest unto our fathers.
Cross-references (44)
- 1 Chronicles 28:9 (v30) You, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind; for Yahweh searches all…
- 1 Samuel 16:7 (v30) But Yahweh said to Samuel, “Don’t look on his face, or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for I don’t see as man…
- Ruth 1:1 (v28) In the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab…
- Joel 2:25 (v28) I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten, the great locust, the grasshopper, and the caterpillar, my great army,…
- James 5:13 (v28) Is any among you suffering? Let him pray. Is any cheerful? Let him sing praises.
Show all 44 cross-references
- Revelation 2:23 (v30) I will kill her children with Death, and all the assemblies will know that I am he who searches the minds and hearts. I will give to each…
- Revelation 9:3-11 (v28) Then out of the smoke came locusts on the earth, and power was given to them, as the scorpions of the earth have power. They were told that…
- Exodus 10:12-15 (v28) Yahweh said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up on the land of Egypt, and eat…
- Leviticus 26:16 (v28) I also will do this to you: I will appoint terror over you, even consumption and fever, that shall consume the eyes, and make the soul to…
- Leviticus 26:25-26 (v28) I will bring a sword upon you that will execute the vengeance of the covenant. You will be gathered together within your cities, and I will…
- Deuteronomy 28:21-61 (v28) Yahweh will make the pestilence cling to you, until he has consumed you from off the land where you go in to possess it. Yahweh will strike…
- 1 Kings 8:37-40 (v28) “If there is famine in the land, if there is pestilence, if there is blight, mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besieges them in…
- 2 Kings 6:25-29 (v28) There was a great famine in Samaria. Behold, they besieged it, until a donkey’s head was sold for eighty pieces of silver, and the fourth…
- 2 Kings 8:1 (v28) Now Elisha had spoken to the woman whose son he had restored to life, saying, “Arise, and go, you and your household, and stay for a while…
- 2 Chronicles 12:2-5 (v28) In the fifth year of king Rehoboam, Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem, because they had trespassed against Yahweh, with…
- 2 Chronicles 20:5-13 (v28) Jehoshaphat stood in the assembly of Judah and Jerusalem, in Yahweh’s house, before the new court; and he said, “Yahweh, the God of our…
- 2 Chronicles 32:1 (v28) After these things and this faithfulness, Sennacherib king of Assyria came, entered into Judah, and encamped against the fortified cities,…
- 2 Chronicles 32:24 (v28) In those days Hezekiah was terminally ill, and he prayed to Yahweh; and he spoke to him, and gave him a sign.
- Joel 1:4-7 (v28) What the swarming locust has left, the great locust has eaten. What the great locust has left, the grasshopper has eaten. What the…
- Joel 1:11 (v28) Be confounded, you farmers! Wail, you vineyard keepers; for the wheat and for the barley; for the harvest of the field has perished.
- Matthew 16:27 (v30) For the Son of Man will come in the glory of his Father with his angels, and then he will render to everyone according to his deeds.
- Hebrews 4:13 (v30) There is no creature that is hidden from his sight, but all things are naked and laid open before the eyes of him to whom we must give an…
- Exodus 20:20 (v31) Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid, for God has come to test you, and that his fear may be before you, that you won’t sin.”
- 1 Samuel 12:24 (v31) Only fear Yahweh, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you.
- 1 Kings 8:39 (v30) then hear in heaven, your dwelling place, and forgive, and act, and give to every man according to all his ways, whose heart you know (for…
- 1 Chronicles 29:17 (v30) I know also, my God, that you try the heart, and have pleasure in uprightness. As for me, in the uprightness of my heart I have willingly…
- 2 Chronicles 6:12-13 (v29) He stood before Yahweh’s altar in the presence of all the assembly of Israel, and spread out his hands (for Solomon had made a bronze…
- Job 28:28 (v31) To man he said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. To depart from evil is understanding.’ ”
- Psalms 11:4-5 (v30) Yahweh is in his holy temple. Yahweh is on his throne in heaven. His eyes observe. His eyes examine the children of men. Yahweh examines…
- Psalms 18:20-26 (v30) Yahweh has rewarded me according to my righteousness. According to the cleanness of my hands, he has recompensed me. For I have kept the…
- Psalms 32:2-6 (v29) Blessed is the man to whom Yahweh doesn’t impute iniquity, in whose spirit there is no deceit. When I kept silence, my bones wasted away…
- Psalms 33:12-13 (v29) Blessed is the nation whose God is Yahweh, the people whom he has chosen for his own inheritance. Yahweh looks from heaven. He sees all the…
- Psalms 50:15 (v29) Call on me in the day of trouble. I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
- Psalms 62:12 (v30) Also to you, Lord, belongs loving kindness, for you reward every man according to his work.
- Psalms 91:15 (v29) He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him.
- Psalms 128:1 (v31) Blessed is everyone who fears Yahweh, who walks in his ways.
- Psalms 130:4 (v31) But there is forgiveness with you, therefore you are feared.
- Psalms 142:1-2 (v29) I cry with my voice to Yahweh. With my voice, I ask Yahweh for mercy. I pour out my complaint before him. I tell him my troubles.
- Proverbs 14:10 (v29) The heart knows its own bitterness and joy; he will not share these with a stranger.
- Jeremiah 17:10 (v30) “I, Yahweh, search the mind. I try the heart, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings.”
- Ezekiel 18:30 (v30) “Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, everyone according to his ways,” says the Lord Yahweh. “Return, and turn yourselves from all…
- John 2:25 (v30) and because he didn’t need for anyone to testify concerning man; for he himself knew what was in man.
- Acts 9:31 (v31) So the assemblies throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace, and were built up. They were multiplied, walking in the fear of the…
- Isaiah 1:15 (v29) When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you. Yes, when you make many prayers, I will not hear. Your hands are full of…
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this passage (8 sources)
Historical commentary, presented as a primary source — not an endorsement.
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Geneva Bible translators 1599 · Public Domain On vv28, 30 Hebrew, in the land of their gates.
Hebrew, in the land of their gates.
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary 1859 · Public Domain On vv28, 29, 31 Blasting, or mildew, (ærugo & aurugo.) The first has…
Blasting, or mildew, (ærugo & aurugo.) The first has the colour of brass, the other of gold. both have nearly the same import. (Menochius) --- One of the terms is rendered, corrupt air; (3 Kings viii. 37.; Calmet) as this is one of the great causes why both plants and animals do not thrive. Septuagint, "corruption of the air and king’s evil, or yellow jaundice:" Greek: ikteros. (Haydock)
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain On vv28–30 28. dearth] R.V. famine (as in 1 Kings).
28. dearth] R.V. famine (as in 1 Kings).
caterpillars] Rather some kind of locust; see Driver on Joe_1:4.
Read full note →
in the cities of their land] R.V. in the land of their cities (Heb. gates). The text is probably corrupt: read either, in any one of their cities (cp. LXX.), or, by making a breach in his gates (Heb. biphìrôç for b’ereç).
whatsoever sore] R.V. whatsoever plague. “Plague” is used here in the general sense of calamity, as in the phrase. The Ten Plagues of Egypt.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain On vv28–31 (28) If their enemies besiege them.—If his enemies (Kings,…
(28) If their enemies besiege them.—If his enemies (Kings, “enemy”) besiege him. (So in 2Ch_6:34.)
In the cities of their land.—See margin, which correctly renders the Hebrew text. But the expression “in the land of his gates” is strange. LXX. has, “if the enemy afflict him before their cities;” Vulg., “et hostes, vastatis regionibus, portas obsederint civitatis;” Syriac and Arabic, “when enemies press them hard in their land and in their cities.” Perhaps “in the land (at) his gates” is right (Bertheau).
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary 1880 · Public Domain On vv28–29 (See Lev_26:16-26; Deu_28:22-52, 59 2Ch_20:9) In the cities of…
(See Lev_26:16-26; Deu_28:22-52, 59 2Ch_20:9) In the cities of their land. This, to represent correctly the Hebrew, should read, in the land of their gates. Reference probably is being made to the fact that law and justice and judgment were administered "in the gate of the city" (Deu_16:18 Deu_21:19; Jos_20:4) Thou only knowest. (so 1Ch_28:9) That they may fear thee. (Psa_130:4) In the absence of a healthy fear is involved both the absence of a healing hopefulness, and too probably the presence of recklessness.
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
C. I. Scofield 1917 · Public Domain On v31 (See Scofield "Psa 19:9").
fear
(See Scofield "Psa 19:9").
The Scofield Reference Bible (1917 edition), notes by C. I. Scofield — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v28 blight or mildew
blight or mildew
These are agricultural terms that refer to the death of crops from either too little or too much rain, respectively.
Read full note →
locusts or caterpillars
A "locust" is a type of grasshopper that causes destruction by eating crops. The word "caterpillar" refers to an early growth stage of the locust.
prayers and requests are made by a person or by all your people Israel
This can be stated in active form. AT: "a person, or all your people Israel, prays and makes requests" (See: Active or Passive)
prayers and requests
The words "prayers" and "requests" mean basically the same thing and emphasize that the person is sincere as he makes his requests. (See: Doublet)
knowing the plague and sorrow in his own heart
Here "plague" is a metaphor for sin, and sin and sorrow are spoken of as being in people's hearts. AT: "knowing the sin and sorrow in his own heart" (See: Metaphor)
he spreads out his hands toward this temple
This was a way of showing that they were praying to the God of the temple. See how you translated "spread out his hands" in 2 Chronicles 6:12. (See: Symbolic Action)
for all his ways
Here "his ways" represents the person's behavior. AT: "for what he has done" (See: Metaphor)
so that they may walk in your ways
Here "walk in your ways" represents living and behaving the way God wants. AT: "so that they may live as you want them to" (See: Metaphor)
translationWords
famine
locust
gate
plague
heaven
forgive
know
fear
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Tyndale Open Study Notes 2022 · CC BY-SA 4.0 On v28 6:28-31 Petition 4: Solomon showed a special sensitivity to…
6:28-31 Petition 4: Solomon showed a special sensitivity to human suffering by including both the private sorrow of those whose pain is hidden and the public distress of those whose pain is apparent. The prayer is personal, appealing to God’s knowledge of each individual motive. A further appeal pleads for God’s instruction so that the pain of failure might lead the individual to follow God’s ways in the future.
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.